Salt Priming Increase Germination of Cucumber at Low Temperatures

Poor seed germination is a common phenomenon at sub-optimal temperatures which causes a great concern for growers. Several priming treatments have been reported to enhance germination percentage under low temperature sowings in various crop seeds. In this study, seed priming was carried out with three solution materials (KNO3, K2HPO4, and NaCl) in four different concentrations (0, 1, 2.5 and 5 % w/v) by two various temperatures (15 and 25 °C) on cucumber seeds (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Super dominos), using a completely randomized design with three replications. Results showed an interaction between priming solution material, priming solution concentration and temperature significantly affect the germination percentages (P<0.01), seedling fresh weight and seedling dry weight (P<0.05) as well as root volume (P<0.01). The highest germination rate in low temperature (15 °C) was obtained from 5 % KNO3 and 1 % K2HPO4 showed the highest seedling fresh weight and the highest seedling